LZ, I'd also suggest any of Aucoin's books. Full of photos, with "before" images, as well as diagrams similar to the ones on the web site.

I'm not a MUA, but was a music major and took two semesters of stage makeup. The principles are the same, although makeup for the stage is much more extreme (especially opera) since it has to counteract much more light and distance.

If you can find closeup pictures of someone made up for the stage, you can get an idea of what a MUA is trying to accomplish with contouring. The stage example will be (very much) heavier, but allows you to see what has been done.

I like MAC products, but you can still get great results from the drugstore.

Could anyone steer me to a good tutorial on makeup prep for glamour photography? Not only facial, but full body and hair. What products, when and how to use them, etc?

Thanks
LZ

It's not rocket science, but it still takes a modicum of talent to do really well. And then there's the matter of collecting all the products in various colors. It can get a bit expensive.

The Aucoin books are very good, but I'd recommend

Classic Make-up and Beauty by Mary Quant, about $13.95 in paperback.

Has the fundamentals of analyzing a face, picking colors, and doing things the right way. Not much if any there on body makeup and you'll have to look elsewhere for hair, but still recommended as a starting point.

There are other excellent books by Bobby Brown, Way Bandy, and a slew of others.

I agree, the Kevyn Aucoin books they are fabulous. I am a MUA, professionally trained specifically for film and photography. It takes years of trial and error to do what we do, some books will help, however makeup is different for photography than it is for everyday. Your best bet might be to hire a Mua and get some tips from them, I find that hands on works the best.
However I use no MAC products at all, they have been testing on animals for years, and their products are very much watered down. You don't have to buy the most expensive products, just the ones that work for you. Some products work well in photography lights and some don't.

Slightly off-topic, but I have seen strong opinions for and against MAC makeup both here (look above) and elsewhere.

Yesterday I read a comment that said there were at least two lines of MAC makeup - one for street wear, and one for photography (and film). The comment went on to say that the street wear makeup was not at all suited to photographic work because the foundations and blush contained things that reflected strobe light badly (please excuse my highly technical paraphrasing).

Might that explain the polarised opinions? Or is that just an apologist's attempt to defend the brand?

I don't have an opinion either way - I'm just curious.

- - -

As to the topic - I would strongly urge hiring a professional MUA if at all possible - a good MUA makes a big difference to the images. Photographic makeup is not something you can learn in a few days.

__________________they say you have to take a thousand bad photos before you can take a good one - I have mastered the bad photos part...

Sally gave valid reasons for her opinion and I respect them, especially considering that she is a MUA and I am not. I am not "pro-MAC" enough to argue.

When a novice mentions "makeup" I usually assume that they are speaking about foundations. Personally (YMMV) I like the "Studio" line of MAC foundations (Fix and Tech) because of the wide variety of colors and the ease of blending. In better-trained hands that might not be necessary. They are rather expensive though (even with the pro discount), and the Studio Tech is used up in a heartbeat.

I cut my teeth on Stein's and Ben Nye, but they are designed primarily for theatrical lighting. As I said, you can get great results from drug store products.

There are certainly pro and con zealots out there, but I'm not among them. Show me something better/easier and I'll listen. (In fact, Sally's "animal testing" comment has given me something to think about.)

Well... it is just my opinion, alot of MUA's and regular gals use MAC and love it, I have heard alot of good things about the pigments they carry, which are beautiful. I have always just used, "cruelty free" or "animal friendly" makeup, it just me, call me a softie! I have found some wonderful products to use that shoot well, look natural and stay all day, considering I travel with Rolando to all his exotic workshops, and Texas ones, I had to find something the shot well in the heat but stayed put and didn't look like a mask. The models love it, and most important the photographers loved it too.
Good Luck , as I said before, trial and error is the only way to really find out if you like a product or not.

I actually do all the Texas ones, Chicago, and have been trying to get Mike Dean to get me to Philly! I know Steve Ball has been dropping some hints to RG, would love to come to Philly, went through there on my way to Maryland Workshop with Mike Dean and Co. I want to see the bowling alley in the basement!!!!